The Queen couldn't resist giving a Polo mint to a regimental drum horse as she visited troops in Scotland yesterday.

She was meeting soldiers from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards on a visit to the regiment's new barracks in Fife when she was introduced to Talavera.

The monarch, who is Colonel-in-Chief of the unit, travelled by helicopter to the former RAF base at Leuchars station.

The Queen spoke to soldiers about the work of the unit, which was deployed for the third and last time to Afghanistan in 2014 and relocated from Germany earlier this year. The monarch is a well-known horse lover and was clearly enamoured with Talavera before meeting the families of soldiers.